Folding decoy-duck.



UNTTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. RAUERT, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN W'. FLYNN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING DECOY-DUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,846, dated May 7, 1901. Application filed September 18, 1900. Serial No. 29,952. (No modeh) '1'0 all) whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. RAUERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Folding Decoy-Duck, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to floating decoyducks, such as used for shooting on lakes; and my object is to obtain a decoy which would compactly fold together, so that a number thereof could be conveniently packed in a valise or other suitable carrier, and each decoy to be adapted to represent two species of ducks, so as to serve in localities where two species of ducks frequent. Besides, the decoy is to be of inexpensive construction and easily and securely set up for use. These features I obtain in the decoy invented by me, which is of the construction illustrated in the drawings, hereby referred to as a part hereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my newly-invented decoy. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof, and Fig. 3 is a front end view.

The letters designate the parts referred to in the following description.

The body a of the decoy is made of sheetiron and in its outline represents two opposed upper halves of a ducks body a, a, facing in opposite directions. Near the extremities of the upper and lower body portions a a are pivotally attached the heads and necks b b by rivets g g, so that either head may be turned under, as indicated by the head 1) in Fig. 1. On the two sides at the middle por tion of the body are hinged by hinges ff two leaves or floats c a, shaped in outline to approximately follow the plan of a ducks body. The floats fold upward against the body part a, and when the decoy is to be set up they are turned down, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. Two wings d d are vertically hinged by hinges e to the center of the body,

such wings being made of sheet-iron of semiround shape, and they have slots 61 extending horizontally inward from the edge and part way across their middle portion, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The wings serve as the stays for the floats c c. A semicircular portion e" is cut out of each of the floats c c, in which to adjustably receive the solid intermediate portions (1 of the wings d d while those portions of the wings above and below the slots movably extend over the floats. The openings e" in the floats are purposely made out of register or eccentrically with respect to the pivoting-point of the hinges e of the wings d d. The object achieved by this construction is that when the Wings are extended laterally the wing portions at the inner ends of the slots d will bind with the floats, with the effect of securely holding the wings (I d extended. WVithout this feature the pressure of the water against the wings while the decoy is afloat might cause the former to fold against the body, and the floats c 0 being thereby deprived of their stays the decoy would collapse. The respective upper and lower body portions a a are approximately painted.

The decoy is reversible, so as to represent either of two species of ducks. The extended wings provide a surface for the wind sweeping over the water to bear against to move the decoys about with a more life-like effect, and the extended Wings also afford the advantage of causing this decoy to be readily seen in whatever direction it may be pointed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A decoy comprising, in combination, a body, a pair of floats hinged to the body and horizontally extensible, wings hinged to the body and laterally extensible, over the floats, and means for securing the wings when extended, the hinged parts being adapted to fold over each other, substantially as described.

2. A decoy comprising, in combination, a body portion, a, a, necks and heads pivoted to the body; a pair of floats hinged to the body and horizontally extensible; Wings hinged to the body and laterally extensible over the floats, and means for securing the wings when extended, the decoy being adapted to be reversible so as to represent either of two species of fowl, and the parts folding together, substantially as described.

3. A decoy comprising, in combination, a body, a pair of floats hinged to the body, and horizontally extensible; wings hinged to the D the wings having slots, d and the fioatssemibody and laterally extensible over the floats, In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in the presence of two Witcirenlar openings eecentrieally disposed with nesses, this 25th day of June, 1900.

respect to the pivoting-point of the hinges, HENRY A. RAUERT. thereby adapting the wings to be extended, Witnesses: and, when so extended binding on the floats, T. J. GEISLER, substantially as described. 1 E, M. HOWATSON. 

